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SATURDAY'S idyllic spring weather saw a huge crowd enjoy a day at the races for the draw of the Holy Trinity Art Union.
Punters were entertained by close finishes in the local races and high class races interstate including a Japanese win in the Caulfield Cup.
The Sapphire City Festival Princesses, fashions in the field competitions and the fashion parades for all ages provided a dash of glamour and colour to the day as children ran themselves to exhaustion enjoying the free rides and amusements.
Elsmore’s favourite daughter and former Holy Trinity student Rachael Murray returned home to ride the winner of the Ward and Austin Memorial Handicap on World Spinning for Bendemeer trainer Jane Clement and Tamworth apprentice Jessica Drury won the Topbuild BM45 handicap at her return to race riding.
Drury had taken a six month break from racing to travel and work on outback cattle stations, she was able to win the race on Our Boy Danny at her first day back in the saddle for an excited group of Tamworth owners including the Rock and Davis families.
Owner Trevor Davis had a busy day as he had a share in four runners with four different trainers and ended with two wins courtesy of Our Boy Danny and World Spinning.
Inverell trainers fought out the feature Tomas Davis Brown BM50 Handicap with Dean Smith’s Fault Lion backing up his Bundarra win to hold off John McLachlan’s Modest Option by a head.
Owners Stan and Patti Smith have long been a part of racing in Inverell and they were rapt to get a local win with Fault Line who had been placed at five of his previous six starts on his home track without a win.
Punters following the omen tips might have backed the winner of race three if they knew that former local Stan Gilchrist, father of cricket legend and Australian of the Year, Adam was in town. Gilly is a promising grey recently purchased over the internet from Victoria by the son of Barraba trainer Debbie Wilson.
Gilly provided the new owners with an immediate dividend, winning the 1400 metre Maiden ridden by group 1 winning jockey, Glenn Lynch.
Gilly looks like he will appreciate longer distances, and connections hope to return to Inverell on Digger’s Cup day for a 1600m handicap as a step to middle distance races.
Digger’s Cup day on November 15 will have full TAB coverage across Australia and the club has had great response to the Christmas party promotion with several parties already booked for the $35 per head group packages.
Club president Don Bartlett who recently returned from a Gold Coast racing study tour said “a day at the races with drink and food packages provides a simple and different alternative for businesses to hold a staff Christmas party without the need to be involved in the preparation and clean up with all facilities provided”.
At the end of the day after the excitement of the races and the glamour of the fashions the big crowd saw the draw of the Art Union, with young local Tom Lane winning the major prize. It’s a new Barina which no doubt he will have fun test driving down the Nullamanna road when he takes delivery.